Originally Posted by IAN-UK

Al Baker's no fool, more a forceful and abrasive character who rose to the top in the very limited world of Qatari aviation. Backed by unlimited funding from the airline's owners he was able to give full vent to vision and unfettered ambition. The funding and regulatory leverage put him outside comparison with true industry entrepreneurs such as Sir Richard Branson, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes et al.

He has tripped up over his ambitions a few times: the all-premium long-haul notion flopped, al Maha was a flawed concept and his itchiness to best his Gulf rivals has resulted in a number of debacles surrounding routes and the availability of aircraft. A more conciliatory approach to relations with other major carriers would likely be more productive than the caustic, sometimes abusive, approach he adopts.

These are testing, existential, times for the airline. Cutting back on the bling while trying to lever up revenue is unlikely to have a happy ending: the non-stop sales continue.

At the same time al Baker is coping with the enormous impact on costs and revenue resulting from the actions of neighbouring states. He's in a position of having to find routes for an under-employed narrow-body fleet: a position Ryanair is used to handling, but that's a low-cost carrier. Cardiff is a manifestation of that search: most of us can think of far better targets, but who knows what sweetners were offered, or what the slot position is at, say, Lisbon.

In spite of the difficulties, and however well or badly the airline muddles through them, its position as an essential means of mitigating the economic and social impacts of the siege rather muddy the waters and protect al Baker, and his vision, for the time being.